Utah · Year-round resident

Brown Creepers in Utah

When brown creepers are present in Utah, when they nest, which native Utah plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 4a–9a yard.

Treecreepers (Certhiidae)Brown CreeperCerthia americana

Status in Utah: Year-round resident
Nesting window: May–June
Broods: 1 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 4a–9a

When to expect brown creepers in Utah

Brown Creepers live in Utah all year. Cold winters with valley inversions; mountain birds descend to backyards. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward overwintering insects; some suet.

Semi-arid to arid, with the Wasatch Range rising above the Great Basin and red-rock canyon country in the south.

Nesting in Utah

Across Utah, brown creepers typically nest from May–June. Nest site: hammock nest behind loose bark on dead trees. Females lay 5–6 eggs, incubate for 13–17 days, and young leave the nest after 13–16 days.

Hot, dry summers.

Brown Creepers don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as chokecherry, ponderosa pine, gambel oak for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after June.

Native Utah plants that attract brown creepers

Of the regional native plants we track for Utah, these 8 provide food or cover brown creepers use:

Tall goldenrod

Solidago altissima · Perennial

Insect-rich in fall and seed in winter.

Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana · Shrub

Dark summer fruit and heavy caterpillar load.

Ponderosa pine

Pinus ponderosa · Tree

Seeds and bark insects; pygmy nuthatch and woodpecker habitat.

Gambel oak

Quercus gambelii · Tree

Acorns for jays and woodpeckers across the southern Rockies.

Rabbitbrush

Ericameria nauseosa · Shrub

Late-season bloom supports insects; seed for sparrows.

Douglas fir

Pseudotsuga menziesii · Tree

Seed for crossbills, siskins and chickadees.

Willow (Bebb)

Salix bebbiana · Shrub

Early catkins draw insects for arriving warblers and hummingbirds.

Dwarf birch

Betula glandulosa · Shrub

Catkin seed for redpolls on the tundra.

Feeding brown creepers through the Utah year

Creepers rarely use feeders but will take suet smeared on rough bark.

Best foods: Suet, Peanut butter mix spread on bark.
In Utah's winter: Cold winters with valley inversions; mountain birds descend to backyards.

Full diet breakdown for brown creepers · Best feeder for brown creepers

Frequently asked

Are brown creepers in Utah year-round?

Yes. Brown Creepers are year-round residents in Utah.

When do brown creepers nest in Utah?

Nesting in Utah typically runs May–June, with 1 per season. Clutches are 5–6 eggs, incubated for 13–17 days.

What native plants attract brown creepers in Utah?

Tall goldenrod, Chokecherry, Ponderosa pine, Gambel oak, Rabbitbrush, Douglas fir, Willow (Bebb), Dwarf birch are native plants in Utah that provide food or cover for brown creepers.

Other backyard birds in Utah

Black-capped Chickadee Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren House Finch Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Northern Flicker Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-winged Blackbird Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Yellow-rumped Warbler Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Steller's Jay Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay Black-billed Magpie Canada Jay Mountain Chickadee Bushtit Juniper Titmouse Pygmy Nuthatch Black-chinned Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird Costa's Hummingbird Lesser Goldfinch Cassin's Finch Spotted Towhee Gambel's Quail California Quail Western Bluebird Mountain Bluebird Say's Phoebe Cactus Wren Verdin Bewick's Wren White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Violet-green Swallow Black-headed Grosbeak Lazuli Bunting Bullock's Oriole Eurasian Collared-Dove

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.